Dumbledore's Final Gift
by debjunk
Summary: It's several years after the war and Dumbledore has one last gift for Severus Snape. Will Severus believe the old coot? If he does, his life may be changed forever. Written for the HPFC Holiday Fic Fest 2019


Dumbledore's Final Gift

Severus turned to the door when the knock came. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw Hermione Granger standing there with a crate of Poinsettias.

"Is that mine?" he ground out.

That's what I was going to ask," Hermione said as she moved into the room. "The mailroom delivered this to my office for some reason. I certainly didn't order them. Then I remembered you were almost drooling when you saw the plants in the lunchroom, so I thought maybe you'd ordered some for yourself."

Severus gave her a measured look. "They are mine," he said simply and looked back to the document he was creating.

"I didn't expect you to be so full of Christmas spirit, Severus, especially so early in December," Hermione said with a smile as she placed the crate on the table across from his desk.

His eyes moved up to her momentarily. "They're potions ingredients. I was going to prepare them here before moving them to my lab."

Hermione chuckled. "Of course they are," she said with a shake of her head.

She turned back to him. "My afternoon meeting was cancelled, would you like some help preparing them?"

"I've got it," Severus said sharply.

Hermione's smile dissolved. "Okay," she said with a shrug. "If you change your mind, I'm only an interoffice memo away."

Severus huffed and went back to his work, ignoring Hermione as she left his office. That woman was always trying to wheedle her way into his business. She stopped by daily trying to spark up a conversation or offer her help. He was flummoxed as to why she even bothered… not that he truly minded, really, but he had a persona to keep up with.

He huffed again and went back to his paperwork. As part of the Department of Law Enforcement, Severus' job was to create potions to help Aurors and Unspeakables be more effective in their jobs. He was currently writing up a proposal to create a potion that worked somewhat like an invisibility cloak. More reliable and powerful than a Disillusionment Charm, the idea was to be able to take the potion and remain invisible for several hours. He'd also be proposing a counter-cure in case the drinker needed to appear once again before the potion wore off. Dipping his quill in ink, he continued with his proposal.

After several hours of rewording and editing, he finally sent the proposal off. His eyes moved to the plants that Granger had brought in earlier. They'd need to wait until tomorrow. He was knackered and just wanted to go home. Severus left his office and made his way to the Floo, traveling to his home nearby. He removed his cape and hung it on the coat hook at the entrance to his flat. Moving to the kitchen, he pulled a tin of soup out of his cabinet. With a swish and a flick, the can of soup had been emptied into a bowl and heated. He took the bowl and set it on the small table, sitting down and sighing at it.

His eyes roamed his apartment. Small but comfortable, he liked where he lived. The kitchen was roomy enough to hold this table, giving him the room in the front to have a small sitting-room and library. He'd stuffed a sofa and reading chair in the room for comfort. The two bedrooms upstairs served as a place to sleep and a lab. Although a bit crowded, he'd liked it. Not that anyone other than him had ever seen the flat.

The quiet of the house enveloped him. He sighed again. Usually, he enjoyed the peace, but tonight, he felt it to be oppressive. He stared down at his bowl of soup. It looked lonely on the table. As lonely as he felt. Severus frowned and picked up his spoon, dipping it into the soup and bringing it to his mouth. He frowned as he took the bite. Although the soup was just as he'd expected it to be, it seemed blasé. His whole life seemed blasé. He was bored and alone, and it was Christmastime.

Severus shook his head. He'd never been fond of the holiday. It had always shown him just how few true friends he'd really had. Minerva had always gotten together with him, but the rest of his so-called friends had ignored him every year. Of course, his childhood Christmases had been sad, pathetic events. He knew his mum had scraped and saved all year to give him the few things he'd received, and he truly was grateful for it, but his father had always found a way to ruin the little celebration with alcohol and his nasty disposition.

Severus shook his head as he looked at his now-empty bowl. Somehow in all his wool-gathering, he'd finished his soup. His wand waved over the bowl, cleaning it and sending it back to its place in the cupboard along with his spoon to the drawer. Frowning, he rose from the table and trudged upstairs with nary a look at his extensive book collection. He was in no mood to even read. All he wanted to do was curl up under his covers and go to sleep. So what if it was only half-past six in the evening. He could go to bed that early if he wanted.

oooOOOooo

Severus was having a nightmare. He was walking down the street, minding his own business when suddenly, he appeared in the Hogwarts Great Hall which was filled with people. He grimaced as he looked around. So many people…. His eyebrows furrowed. Wait a minute, not only was this a crowded party, every single attendee was a past student. Not just any student, either. They were all… Neville Longbottom.

Longbottom chatted with Longbottom in the corner. A group of Longbottoms near him burst into laughter. A Longbottom toasted him from across the room. Oh no, now a small group of five were approaching him. They surrounded him, all patting him on the back, causing him to stumble forward. He glared at them. They all laughed. This caused the nearby Lognbottoms to laugh as well. Before Severus knew it the entire Great Hall of Longbottoms were all pointing and laughing at him.

"No, Merlin, please no!" Severus shouted as he sat up in bed, his eyes wide as great gasps came from him. He caught his breath finally. "Only a dream," he muttered.

He laid back down shaking his head at the absurdity of his dream. As he lay there, he noticed his room was getting brighter. He looked to the window… still pitch black outside. Turning his head, he noticed a small ball of light forming at the base of his bed. In a flash, he had sat up and had his wand pointing at the light as it grew. Light filled his room as the ball grew larger. Severus continued to train his wand on the phenomenon as finally the ball of light exploded and a man stood in its place.

Severus shot a stunner at the person, but it went right through the man. Three more flew from his wand before Severus recognized the figure standing at the foot of his bed. Albus Dumbledore, in all his glory, was in Severus' bedroom.

Severus crawled backwards until his back was against the headboard and extended his wand again.

"Who are you?" he cried.

"My boy, after all we've been through, I didn't think you'd forget me so easily."

"Dumbledore… it's not possible!"

"Ah, yes, well, I have long been doing the impossible, haven't I?"

Severus snarled at him. "It _is_ you! Only you could be so pompous." He trained his wand on him once again. "Why are you here, Dumbledore? What do you want?"

"My boy, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"Friend? Friend? You made me kill you, you daft coot," Severus ground out.

"Oh, stop being melodramatic, Severus. I've always been your friend."

"Melodramatic? You turn me into your helper-monkey then order me to kill you. How am I being melodramatic?"

"Severus, it was never that bad."

Severus felt that his head was about to explode. He raised his wand at Dumbledore once again.

"I swear, old man, get on with whatever crack-pot reason you're here before I blast you into a million pieces."

"I'm an apparition, Severus. Shoot spells at me all you'd like. I cannot be harmed."

Severus lowered his wand. "What the devil do you want, for Merlin's sake?"

"Well, I know we parted on a negative light."

"Negative? Are you daft? I bloody killed you. There couldn't be any more negative a parting."

"Severus, you really do need to stop being so dramatic. Have you thought of going into acting?"

Severus rose and glared at the apparition. "Piss off," he said as he stormed out of his bedroom.

He continued storming down the stairs only to come face to face with Dumbledore once again. He growled at the man.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House!"

"Now Severus…"

"Don't 'now Severus' me. I want nothing to do with you or whatever you are going to say. Just leave!"

Dumbledore reached out and Severus shrunk back. He moved around the man and stormed away once again. He entered his kitchen, but Dumbledore had once again beaten him to it. He stood in front of him despite Severus leaving him behind in the sitting room. Severus' fists balled by his sides.

"Fine. What is it you want?"

"As I was saying before you stormed away, I feel badly for the way we parted."

Severus snorted and folded his arms.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, Severus."

"You had an odd way of showing it," Severus replied tersely.

Dumbledore waved his hand in dismissal. "I want to give you one last Christmas present."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You've been dead for seven years. Why now?"

"You haven't needed it before now."

"Whatever does that mean?"

"You, Severus Snape, have finally realized you are lonely. I can help with that."

Severus arched an eyebrow and pointed at Dumbledore.

"Albus, whatever it is, no. I don't want your ideas or meddling."

"Too late!" Dumbledore cried. "I've already committed to helping you."

"You definitely should be committed," Severus said under his breath.

"What was that, my boy?"

Severus looked up quickly. "Hmm? Oh, nothing."

Dumbledore looked at him for a minute, making Severus fold his arms in front of him again.

"Anyway," Dumbledore continued after clearing his throat. Severus wondered why the dead would need to clear their throat and missed the beginning of what Dumbledore said.

"…my final Christmas present to you."

Severus looked at him and began to pay attention.

"Severus, what you need is to fall in love."

"Oh, no. Albus. NO!"

"But I have the perfect person for you."

Severus closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "Please, just let me be, Dumbledore."

"Earlier you were just thinking how quiet this house is. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone here to share it with? A couple of children running around…"

Severus' eyes grew wide. "Children? Who would want children with me? Albus, you're daft. Go back to wherever it is you came from and leave me be." Severus' hand came up and he made a dismissive gesture. He turned and moved away from the old ghost. "This hairbrained idea of yours is nonsense."

"I want you to be happy, Severus. Miss Granger can do that for you."

Severus sputtered as he turned back to Dumbledore. "Granger? Hermione Granger?"

"Is there another Granger you know?"

Severus' eyes narrowed at the apparition in front of him. "As I said before, you're daft. We have nothing in common, and I'm twice her age."

"Well, you'll never get the girl with that attitude," Dumbledore chided.

"I'll never get the girl because she has no interest in me whatsoever!"

"So," Dumbledore said with raised eyebrows. "If she did have an interest in you, you would be agreeable to a relationship?"

"What?" Severus sputtered. "No! I mean… I…" he looked at Dumbledore. "She could never feel anything for me."

Albus waved his hand at Severus. "She already does, you blind fool."

Severus rolled his eyes. "She merely tolerates me. We work at the Ministry, but in different departments."

"Yes, I know," Dumbledore said as if Severus were a dunce. "Do you not find it odd that even though you are in different departments, you manage to see her every single day?"

Severus' eyebrows furrowed. "I hardly think…"

Albus held up his hand to stop him. "Every day, Severus. She manages to bump into you or stop by your office every day. She is attracted to you."

Severus turned and flung his hand in the air in exasperation. "Just because we see each other daily doesn't mean she's… _attracted_ to me.

Albus gave him a knowing look. "Severus Snape, open your eyes."

"There's nothing to open my eyes to. She is young and beautiful and could have anyone she wants. Why on earth would she want me?"

"Well, there's no accounting for taste…" Dumbledore mused. He looked back at Severus. "She wants more with you. She's even told Harry about it."

"Oh, now I know you're full of it. Potter hates me. Why would she say anything positive about me to him?"

"They're friends, and Harry doesn't hate you like you think. He told her he just wants to see her happy, and if you can make her happy, then he's all for it."

Severus huffed. "Ludicrous."

Dumbledore got closer to Severus and gave him a concerned look. "Severus, when are you going to believe that you're worthy of someone caring about you?"

Severus looked at Dumbledore balefully. "No one cares and no one will care, so just butt out and leave me in peace."

Dumbledore's hand came up and he grabbed Severus' shoulder. Severus felt his cold hand squeeze his shoulder lightly.

"My boy… you need to start liking yourself."

Severus jerked away from Dumbledore's grasp. "You know nothing about it."

"I'm not a fool, Severus. Do you think I don't see you avoiding everyone?"

Severus stalked off and sat on his sofa with a huff. "I'm done talking with you."

"Fine, then I'll talk." The apparition moved back next to him, but kept standing… or floating, as it were. "You must ask her out."

Severus' eyes rose to Albus', then lowered again. "This is ridiculous. She isn't interested in me, nor will she ever agree to go out on a date with me!"

"Yes, she will, Severus. Just ask her."

Severus sneered at the ghost and rose from the sofa, moving to within inches of Dumbledore. "Will you leave me alone if I agree to this foolishness?"

Severus swore that Albus' silver eyes glittered. "Done!" he said. "But you have to ask her to the Ministry Christmas party."

"No."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Then I'll never leave. Besides, Severus, it's just a party."

"There will be _people_ there. You know I hate crowds, Albus." Severus grit his teeth. "Why? Why would you put me through that torture just to have Hermione Granger laugh in my face?"

"I guarantee you she won't."

"Fine," Severus spat. "I'll ask her to the bloody Christmas party. Will you get out of my sight?"

"No need to be so melodramatic, Severus, I was just about to leave."

"I'm not being melodramatic!" Severus cried as he threw a nearby book at the apparition. Despite it flying through the ghost, Severus felt slightly better.

"Go," he demanded.

"Fine, fine. Now if you don't ask her out, I'll be back."

"Heaven forbid," Severus said dryly as he watched Albus Dumbledore disappear into thin air.

He sighed and turned back to his sofa, sinking back into it. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Looking down at the floor, he shook his head. What was he going to do? Hermione would never agree to accompany him to the party, and even if she did, that was a far cry from actually wanting to be with him… romantically.

His mind brought up a memory of Hermione Granger. If he were to be honest with himself, despite all his grousing with her, he found her to be quite appealing. He'd never let himself think such thoughts, though, as he knew they were folly. She could never truly see him as anything but the grumpy man who called her a know-it-all when she was a child. He'd lost before he'd even begun.

Yet, what if she _could_ look beyond all that? What if she'd already had, and he'd been too blind and self-absorbed to notice? What if his assumption that no one could see him for who he truly was really had been wrong? Could that even be a possibility?

He didn't know, but if he didn't ask her out, he'd _never _find out. And worst of all, Dumbledore would come back to haunt him. He sighed heavily. He'd have to do it, embarrassing as it would be, he would ask Hermione Granger to the Christmas party.

Chapter 2

Severus fidgeted nervously at his desk as he awaited Hermione's inevitable arrival at his office. His eyes moved to his doorway every few minutes, expecting Hermione to just appear there, but she didn't. By the time she did show her face, Severus was so wound up all he could do was glower at her.

"Oh, not in the best of moods, I see," Hermione said as she placed a takeaway cup of tea on his desk.

Severus glowered at it and then back at her. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but she put her finger up to stall him.

"It's all right. I don't know why you're so upset, but I'll leave you be."

She disappeared before he had the chance to do more than sputter at her.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" he exclaimed finally. Looking crossly down at his paperwork, he determined that the next day would be more successful.

oooOOOooo

The following day Severus decided to head off his temper by seeking out Hermione himself. He stalked through the halls towards her office as fear settled in his stomach. He'd rehearsed what he wanted to say, but now his mind was coming up blank. He moved to her door and stopped, looking at the closed door. Finally, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Come in!" he heard Hermione call from the other side of the door.

He reached out and grasped the doorknob, turning it slowly. His heart was in his throat as he slowly opened the door.

"Severus! What a nice surprise!" Hermione cried when she saw him enter the room.

He froze. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"Severus?" Hermione asked in puzzlement.

"I…" His eyebrows furrowed and he retreated into himself. "Never mind," he said and exited quickly.

Hermione called after him, but he just rushed away, retreating to his office, barricading the door with spells, and sunk into his office chair while scowling.

"Bugger."

oooOOOooo

The bright light was back. Severus shielded his eyes as he watched Dumbledore form in his sitting room. The ghost came up to him. He bent over him as he sat in his reading chair with a potions journal in his lap. Severus sneered at the apparition.

"I thought I told you to get out and not return."

"That was when you had promised to ask Hermione to the party."

"Dumbledore, I'll do it in my own way and my own time!"

Albus gave him a measured look. "The party is a week and a half away. By the time you get around to it, she'll have a date already."

"I was going to do it tomorrow!" Severus said while sneering at the ghost.

"Hmm, well, you'd best do that, then, or you'll be stuck with me forever."

"Get out," Severus said menacingly.

"Fine, fine. Just get it done."

Albus faded out of sight, and Severus' lips thinned. Despite hating to admit it, Dumbledore was right. He needed to ask Hermione to the party or she'd not be available. Tomorrow would be the day. He sighed, hoping she didn't already have a date.

oooOOOooo

Hermione knocked on Severus' open door and smiled as he looked up at her. Severus' heart froze within him as she made her way to his desk with a chocolate chip cookie.

"I saw these and thought of you and your sweet tooth."

He smiled thinly at her. "Thank you, that was very thoughtful."

Hermione's smile widened.

Severus took a deep breath and plunged in.

"Go to the Ministry party with me." His eyes widened as he realized held just blurted out his invitation to her with nary any warning.

"Oh!" Hermione said as she looked surprised.

Surely she'd tell him how much of a fool he was now. He could just tell that she was going to.

"You want me to… Are you asking me out?" she asked with a small smirk on her face.

"I… yes… I am."

Hermione's smirk turned into a huge grin. He realized she was going to break his heart right there by laughing out loud at him. She looked at him with… was that excitement?

"I'd love to, Severus! I'm glad you asked me. I know Robertson was about to, so I took a break and came down here to avoid him." She shuddered. "That man is way too touchy-feely."

Severus' eyebrow arched.

"But… that doesn't matter anyway because you just asked me. What time should I be ready?"

Severus sighed within himself. "I'll pick you up at your flat at seven."

She smiled at him again, this time seemingly with an even wider grin. Turning, she waved at him and quickly left his office. He stared down at the cookie in his hand. What had just happened? In a matter of minutes, he'd not only received a sweet but had asked a woman to go out with him. He frowned as he thought of her response. Was she just going with him to get away from Robertson? Maybe she really didn't want to go with him, but he was better than accompanying someone she found loathsome. He sighed. Frowning, he placed the cookie on his desk, stood, and left his office. He needed to take a walk.

Stalking down the halls of the Ministry, he berated himself for having felt any sense of accomplishment.

"Fool."

He thought he saw a ball of light forming and ducked into an empty office. Sure enough, the ball grew and turned into Dumble-ghost. Severus cringed and sighed.

"What now, Dumbledore? You know, you can't just appear wherever you feel like. People will talk."

Albus shrugged. "I'm dead. What do I care about gossip?"

Severus scowled at him. "Why are you here? I did what you asked. You're supposed to leave me alone!"

"You are second-guessing yourself."

"What do you know of it?" Severus asked menacingly.

"I know you, Severus Snape. You cannot ever think that something good might be coming your way." He pointed at Severus. "You think she's just going with you as a last resort to avoid going with someone she doesn't like."

"Well… isn't she?"

"No!"

Dumbledore's lips thinned as he looked at Severus. The man took a step back at Dumbledore's glare. He'd never seen such an angry look on the ghost, and he'd seen a lot of different looks on Dumbledore.

"Severus, I'm only going to say this one more time. She fancies you. She was thrilled when you asked her, and not because she had a good reason to tell Robertson to jump in the pond. That was just an added bonus. Now, pull yourself out of this funk and plan for your evening with your new love."

"Albus…"

"She is your new love, Severus. Don't belittle it."

Severus grit his teeth together. "Fine, just get out of here."

"Enjoy the party, my friend."

"Out!"

Dumbledore disappeared while smiling benevolently at Severus. Severus wanted to wipe the foolish grin right off his face, but he held himself in check as he watched the ghost fade away to nothingness. What he wouldn't give to never see that old, dead man ever again.

oooOOOooo

Severus reviewed his appearance in the mirror. Since surviving the war, he'd created a potion that took the grease from his hair. It now had some body to it, and Severus flicked his head slightly so his hair fell into place.

He eyed his robes. A dark green shirt was layered with a black cravat and vest. Over that, he had a finely made long button-down suitcoat and dress pants. Reviewing the whole look, he felt he was as presentable as he would ever be.

Picking up the bouquet of roses off the nearby table, he headed out the door to pick up his… date. He hoped tonight would go well. Over the past week, his thoughts on Hermione had become hopeful. He'd believed before that she was unreachable, so he'd never even given credence to his feelings for her. Now, having asked her on a date, he found himself wanting to be closer to her… wanting this to work out. After all, she was brilliant and beautiful, and she let no one take advantage of her. He found he admired her quite a bit.

He spun to Apparate and found himself at her doorstep. Apprehension filled him as he looked at the dark wood of her door. This was it… his one big chance. He wanted it to be a perfect night for her. Swallowing hard, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Hermione opened it and smiled as she stepped back to let him pass through.

Severus' breath left him as he gazed upon his date. Hermione had swept her hair atop her head, and curls spilled all around her head. She wore green satin robes that were tinged with black velvet on the ends, splashing up in a raindrop pattern. Severus finally began to breathe again as he moved into her flat. He turned and gave her the flowers.

"Oh, Severus, thank you so much!" she cried. "Let me get them into a vase before we leave."

Severus stared after her like a lost puppy as she moved into the kitchen and transfigured a glass into a vase, arranging the flowers within it. She looked up at him and the smile left her face.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

Severus swallowed as he took her in once again.

"Hermione," he whispered. "You look absolutely beautiful."

Her smile lit up the room. At least, Severus thought that it did.

"Thank you," she said as she blushed. "You look incredibly handsome as well."

Severus looked down at himself. "I do?"

She came up to him and took his arm. Giving it a playful shake, she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Of course you do! Even more so than usual."

He wanted to tell her she was blind or mock her for her foolish sentimentality, but something inside of him stopped his words. He looked at her and saw her sincerity.

"You truly think so?" he asked. "I'm not really much to look at."

Hermione moved closer to him. "Well, I think you are," she said simply.

They held each other's gaze for what seemed like forever until she broke away and grabbed her purse from the side table.

"I'm ready," she said with a giddy laugh.

He extended his arm to her and they moved over to her fireplace. It took no time at all before they'd both Floo'd into the Ministry and he'd extended his arm again. They moved to the elevators and were soon entering the ballroom which was decorated with numerous Christmas trees, all filled with bells that rung softly. The entire room smelled of pine. Hermione looked around the room happily.

"This is beautiful, isn't it, Severus?"

Severus nodded. "It is adequate."

Hermione laughed and slapped his arm lightly. "You truly are the king of understatement."

He arched an eyebrow at her, and she giggled some more. He fought hard not to smirk back at her. He didn't want her to know just how smitten he was at that moment.

She tugged at his arm, pulling him farther into the room. It was then he noticed the crowds and frowned. He hated mingling, he hated small talk, and he hated parties. He turned to suggest to Hermione that they just go, but one look at her face as she beheld the trees was all he needed to know that he'd stay here all night with her if that's what she wanted.

Hermione reached out and touched one of the globes on the nearest tree. The globe held a starburst within it that burst every so often. She touched another, this one had a small Hogwarts castle where it was snowing.

"Aren't these amazing?" She turned to see his reaction.

He gave her a quick nod as he continued to admire the objects on the tree. At that moment, they were accosted by an intruder. Severus sighed as he turned to Lucius Malfoy in all his splendor.

"Ah, Severus. I thought you said you weren't attending the gala."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "I said I didn't want to be seen at this party, not that I wasn't attending."

Lucius gave him a slight smile. He then looked at Hermione.

"Miss Granger… a pleasure as always," he said with disdain.

"The pleasure's all mine," Hermione said with a frown.

"Come, Severus, you must join me at the buffet," Lucius drawled.

Severus knew if he wandered off with Lucius, he'd never get back to his date. The vain wizard would parade around with him, trying to give himself more clout with the Ministry because of Severus' position. The only way to get rid of the pompous windbag would be to brush him off.

"I will go later. Hermione and I were admiring the décor."

He turned back to the tree they had been admiring, effectively ignoring Lucius. Hermione looked at him oddly but followed suit. He heard the other man's huff.

"Fine, I will chat with you later."

Severus nodded but didn't turn back to Lucius. He didn't look over his shoulder until he heard the man's footsteps moving off.

"I thought Lucius was your friend," Hermione said curiously.

"He is."

Hermione shook her head. "Why is talking to you sometimes like pulling teeth?"

Severus turned to her and arched an eyebrow. "the only way to get rid of Lucius is to ignore him. He feels slighted and slinks away. Perhaps he will ignore me for the rest of the night, but I doubt it. He understands my moods."

Hermione nodded. "Well, that was nice of you to brush him off for me."

"I am accompanying you, not him."

She smiled at him then, and he felt his heart clench within him. Taking her arm he led her into the crowd. He frowned at anyone who looked at them, hoping to drive them away or give them the idea that he had no desire to chat with them. Those who did look at the couple swiftly averted their gaze and went the other way. Severus smirked as they moved across the floor. He glanced at Hermione, who was looking up at him with a small smile on her face.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"You command any room you occupy, Severus. It's quite appealing."

"Even when I'm making everyone run away from me?" he asked somewhat skeptically.

"Sometimes it's nice not to be mobbed at these obnoxious events."

"I thought you enjoyed them."

Hermione shrugged. "I do, for about five minutes. Then I'm invariably swamped by star-struck witches and wizards that want to be seen with me. It's nice to just be able to walk around with you and not be harassed."

"I would assume everyone thinks I've probably cast a spell on you given the glances and stares we're getting."

"Sod them all, Severus. Frankly, I don't care what they think. It's none of their business, and I won't let them ruin my evening."

They had come upon the buffet and Severus picked up two flutes of champagne, offering one to Hermione. She smiled at him as she took it.

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Hermione."

She gave a puzzled smile. "For what?"

"For accompanying me tonight." He looked deeply into her eyes. "This party would be abominable without you."

"I'm very happy that you asked me," Hermione said softly.

He smirked at her as he marveled at the chemistry between Hermione and him. He felt drawn to her and was almost certain she felt the same way. Excitement coursed through him at the idea of Hermione being interested in him.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked as he held out his free hand to her.

"You dance?" she asked incredulously.

"I am a Slytherin. I have been trained in the highest forms of dancing."

Hermione slipped her hand into his. "Why didn't you ever dance at Hogwarts, then?"

"There was never anyone worthy enough to dance with at those gatherings," he said.

He placed his glass back on the table and relieved Hermione of hers. She smiled at him as he turned and led her to the dance floor. Taking her into his arms, they began to dance to the waltz that was playing. Severus pulled her close as they swayed around the room together. The feel of her in his arms was heady. He looked down to see her raptly looking up at him. Her gaze made his heart skip a beat. He suddenly scowled and looked away. How could this slip of a woman make him feel the things he was feeling? He hadn't felt like this since… well, if he were honest, he'd never felt like this before.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked him.

His gaze was drawn to her again. "No, nothing."

"You frowned."

"I… Something unpleasant crossed my mind. It's nothing."

He instinctively pulled her closer, then regretted it because of the feelings she evoked within him. He looked down at her and studied her lips. They were soft and warm and inviting. He was drawn to them and was tempted to simply bend low and kiss her. He knew within himself that he needed to capture her lips within his. He began to draw close when the most awful thing happened…

Harry Potter came up to them.

"Hermione, you made it!" Potter cried stupidly.

Severus frowned as Hermione pulled away from him suddenly.

"Harry!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him.

You would have thought she hadn't seen him in years. Severus scowled. Harry's eyes moved to Severus.

"Severus, good to see you," Harry said.

Severus arched an eyebrow at Potter as the young man smiled at him.

"Potter."

"Harry, where's Ginny?" Hermione asked.

Harry pointed to the other end of the ballroom. "She's over there with Luna. They're babbling on about babies."

"She wants another, I take it?"

"Luna does, actually. Not that Ginny would be upset if we had another, but right now the ones we have are keeping us quite busy."

Severus cleared his throat.

"Oh, um," Harry stuttered. "I didn't mean to interrupt your dancing. I just got excited to see you."

"Yes, it's been what… two days since you last laid eyes on her?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"Three days, actually."

"Ah, well, thank you for stopping by. We are going to finish our dance now."

Harry stuttered then turned and wandered off. Hermione looked at Severus, then batted his arm. Severus looked at her incredulously.

"You could have been more polite!" she said with a frown.

Severus sneered. "No, I can't say that I could have."

Hermione shook her head. "You're lucky I like you, Severus Snape, or you'd be standing on this dance floor by yourself right now."

Severus gathered her in his arms again and they began to dance once more. He looked into her eyes, and he was once again taken by how beautiful she was. They moved around the dancefloor smoothly, never taking their eyes off each other. Severus felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ronald Weasley grinning at him like a loon.

"Can I cut in?" Ron asked.

"No."

Severus turned back to Hermione and guided her away from Weasley, who stared at them with his mouth agape. Hermione gave Severus a puzzled look.

"I haven't been able to complete a dance with you yet," he said simply.

Hermione tilted her head at Severus. Leaning in, she whispered in his ear. "He did have horrible timing, didn't he?"

Severus felt a jolt go through him with the feel of her lips so near his ear. He cleared his throat.

"He definitely did," he agreed, "but we can get back to what we were doing before he so rudely interrupted us." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. Pitching his voice low, he added, "Is that all right with you, Hermione?"

He felt Hermione shiver at his sultry comment. He studied her, finding it hard to believe that he could instill such a reaction in her. Her eyes were wantonly looking at him, and he could control himself no longer. Ignoring the crowds of people around him, he pulled her close, kissing her passionately. Everything but the woman in his arms disappeared as his lips drank her in. At long last, he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers.

"Merlin, why didn't we do this ages ago?" he asked.

"You weren't interested," Hermione mused.

Severus pulled back and looked at her. He pulled her close again so their bodies touched as they resumed their dance. "I doubted you could be interested in someone like me, so it was just easier to be indifferent to you."

Hermione stroked his hair. "You couldn't tell I cared about you?"

He shook his head.

Hermione leaned in and captured his lips. Severus marveled in the passion he felt from her. He groaned into her as she worshiped his mouth. Pulling away at long last, he breathlessly looked at Hermione, then around at the people surrounding them. No one was paying them any mind.

"Notice-me-not charm," Hermione explained.

"Clever witch."

He marveled that he'd been so absorbed with her that he hadn't noticed her casting any wandless magic. If he were honest with himself, he didn't much care. All he desired was to kiss her more. His lips descended upon her again as his hand came up and cupped her cheek. Their tongues danced together and Severus knew in his heart he never wanted to lose this feeling with Hermione.

She pulled away breathlessly. "Severus, I have cared for you for a long time now."

"Secretly, I have cared for you also," Severus replied, his voice filled with emotion. "To be honest with you, if it hadn't been for something happening to me, I would have not approached you."

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

His lips thinned before he responded to her. "You'll think me a fool."

"Severus Snape, you are the least foolish man I've ever known."

He looked at her tentatively.

"Tell me," she urged.

"I was visited by…" he cleared his throat… "by Dumbledore."

"His ghost?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Something like that. He wasn't a ghost like we know them, but more solid. An apparition you could touch."

"Why did he visit you?"

"He said he had one last Christmas gift for me. He…" Severus' lips thinned again. "Never mind. It's too crazy a story to be believed."

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that when it comes to magic, anything and everything is possible. Severus, please… what happened?"

He explained why Dumbledore had visited and how skeptical he'd been. Hermione looked at him shyly.

"Were you upset?" she asked tentatively.

"That he was bothering me? Of course!"

"No." she shook her head. "Where you upset that it was me?"

He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He studied Hermione, her face filled with concern. He wanted her to understand why he'd never pursued anything with her before. He hoped he could make her see that any insecurities he'd had about them were all his own doing… all things he'd felt lacking in himself.

"At first, I was more suspicious that you could think of me in such a way. I mean, look at me!" He motioned to himself, lifting his arm up and down in front of his torso, flashing his hand at himself. "I'm not anything anyone wants."

Hermione came closer to him again. Her hand caressed his face. "You're what I want," she said simply.

"I am still finding that hard to believe," he admitted.

"Why?"

"You are… beautiful, intelligent, and deserving of someone who appreciates all of that. Someone who is your age, who you can grow old with." His eyes searched her pleadingly, hoping that she would understand.

"I already found who I want to grow old with. Just because you're a little older than I doesn't mean we can't grow old together."

"Hermione, I am broken. You deserve someone whole."

"Severus, we're all broken. Everyone had to do terrible things during the war. None of us are whole." She looked determinedly into his eyes. "You need to forgive yourself and realize you are worthy of happiness… of someone caring for you… of someone… loving you."

"But you could never…"

"I already do." Her lips touched his reverently. He opened his mouth to let her in but then retreated.

"This is impossible."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"You said… It can't be… Dumbledore…"

She reached up and cupped his cheek. "You're pretty cute when you're tongue-tied."

"I am not cute."

She kissed his nose, and he looked at her incredulously.

"You are to me," Hermione said. "You make my heart race whenever I see you."

His brows furrowed. "No one has ever said that to me."

"Really?" Hermione said in puzzlement. "Haven't you ever…"

"Yes, but nothing ever serious. Being a spy meant no relationships I had were ever serious."

"Yes, but," her eyebrows furrowed. "Hasn't anyone ever said how handsome you are?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Hardly."

"Well, they were all foolish," she huffed. "You are striking. Like I said before, you command a room."

Again, Severus marveled at her sincerity. She truly thought he was worthy of her. He pulled her to him and embraced her.

"I'm sorry," he said gravely.

"For what?" Hermione asked.

"For being foolish. I'm so used to nothing ever working out for me that I never even thought there was a chance for us. I've let precious time be lost, and after the war, I assure you time is precious."

She pulled back and kissed him soundly. "Don't be silly. We have all the time in the world. Of course, it would have been nicer to start this earlier, but we have the rest of our lives to see where it's going."

She canceled the Notice-me-Not charm and smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go. We've been here long enough, and I'd like to see where this leads tonight."

His eyes met hers and he arched his brow. She tugged at his hand and led him off the dance floor. They made their way to the Floos silently. As they approached, Severus stopped and pulled her into another embrace, kissing her passionately. They held each other's gaze for a bit before turning and disappearing into the Floo together, leaving the party and the crowds behind for good.

In their haste to leave the party, they failed to see the ball of light appearing next to the Floo. Dumbledore appeared and watched them enter the Floo, his eyes twinkling.

"Happy Christmas, Severus," he said before disappearing again.


End file.
